How to factory-reset my Envy x360 13

[Arold]

When I start the HP Recovery Manager, there's no obvious factory reset option..

Can anyone advise how to do it?

[WAWood]

@Arold 

Don't know why you feel you need to do a Factory Reset -- but if it is to fix a SLOW PC, then DO NOT DO THIS! A really SLOW PC is nearly always caused by failing hardware -- which a factory reset will do NOTHING to fix.

Somehow, the Factory Reset has taken on the value of an Urban Legend that is a Miracle Cure for any ailing PC. Not only does it rarely fix the PC, if there is an underlying hardware issue with the PC, it will make matters WORSE by leaving the PC in an unusable state.

Even if there is NOT an underlying hardware issue, the reset puts Windows back to where it was weeks or months ago -- and this will then automatically launch hours or days of Windows Udpates that will bring your PC to a grinding halt, driving the processor up to 100% and the disk utilization to 100% as well. Both of these do NOTHING to speed up the PC.

The HP Factory Reset function relies critically on the contents of the Recovery partition being intact. If those contents get corrupted, which can happen either due to hard drive failing or due to Win10 Upgrade from an older OS, the reset simply will not work -- and will TRASH the PC in the process.

So, you go from having a SLOW PC, to having NO PC. That's not an improvement.

To check for hard drive failing, if your PC is new enough to support UEFI, you can use these steps to test the hard drive: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00439024

If not, you have to follow these steps:
1) Press Esc key repeatedly, several times a second, while rebooting the laptop. Do NOT hold the key down, just press it over and over.
2) Eventually, you will see an HP Startup Menu
3) press the Function key for testing the hard drive (usually F2) and let it run.

[Arold]

Thanks for that but it's nothing to do with failing hardware or any other problem. I want to sell the machine. I could do a Windows reset but that would wipe out the pre-installed HP stuff. I realise that most of it is bloatware, but it's up to the buyer to decide whether they want it, not me.

Everything I read online says the HP Recovery app varies between machines but there is normally a "Factory restore" option. As mentioned, though, I don't see one. If necessary, I'll reset Windows and leave the buyer to download any HP apps he/she wants, but I'd rather do a factory reset.

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

@Arold 

If you press F11 while rebooting and there is no Reset option that works, you would have to do the reset using recovery media that you create yourself.

If your PC is a 2016 model or newer, you should see if you can make a bootable USB recovery drive using the HP cloud recovery tool on a working PC.

The recovery drive can then be used to install Win10 and the HP drivers and utilities that originally came with your PC.

Here is the link: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06162205

[Arold]

Thank you. Yes, I think that's the best idea - create recovery media and restore from there. I didn't create the media in the first place because it has been almost unused, which is why I'm selling - surplus to requirements. It's like a brand new laptop. Very helpful- thanks again.